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Summary List of stories Phase I Day: Honor, Duty, And Family << chapter 18 Chapter 19 of 75 True Sight chapter 20 >> << previous scene Scene 1 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text Placing the anchor was an easier task than any of the ponies had expected: once they'd found the entrance into the tunnels beneath Canterlot, it hadn't taken them very long to find the right location to hide the anchor: a deep abyss, filled with dark water. Fearlessly, Luna Brynhild had plunged down into this to scout it out, her horn glowing and lighting up the watery depths around her, letting her armor drag her down into the depths as strange and alien creatures had flitted and twisted past her. She found a nook in the cave wall, and then she had closed her eyes and called mentally up to Scrivener... and the earth pony had sighed, but then finally moodily shoved the anchor off the edge of the pit, sending it plummeting into the abyss to crash with a loud splash into the water above Luna, the winged unicorn catching it with telekinesis as it fell towards her and wincing a little as the anchor had glowed radiantly, further lightening the water around her, making her all too aware of the strange and uncomfortable life that was dancing around the edge of her vision. She had crammed the anchor into the crack in the wall, her lungs beginning to ache from lack of oxygen before she had flicked her horn, freezing hole in the wall over... and Scrivener, high above, feeling his own chest constricting painfully, had hurriedly added his concentration and energies to Luna's before she had transfigured ice into solid rock, leaving it looking like nothing more than a flaw of blue stone amidst the black and gray of the wall. And with that, Luna had hurried to the surface, bursting out of the water and flapping her wings hard to propel herself quickly back upwards even as she'd gasped for breath. They had taken the rest of the day after that to help out with warding Chrysalis's cell, preparing and fortifying Canterlot against possible Changeling incursions, and answering more questions from both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. They had also met Princess Cadence: a winged unicorn with a soft-pink coat, and a mane of swirled violet, pink, and cream. Pretty, friendly, and kind... and another equine that Luna and Scrivener knew had never existed in their world, which was why Luna Brynhild took a particular fascination in studying her. Cadence had finally awkwardly invited them to have dinner with her, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle tonight, and Luna had grinned widely... but then Scrivener had hurriedly silenced her with a hoof over her mouth before asking courteously if they could bring their daughter as well. Cadence had smiled at him as Luna Brynhild has sulked, nodding and saying quietly: "Always room for more at our table. We were going to invite Twilight's friends as well, but it seems they all have plans already... but it is Canterlot, after all. There's all kinds of fun things to do here." "There never was in my Canterlot." Luna muttered grumpily, and Scrivener had only petted her awkwardly before she had bopped him firmly with his horn, making him wince but Cadence laugh despite herself at the two. Dinner was awkward: Twilight Sparkle was obviously still trying to understand both Scrivener and Luna a little more, while Shining Armor was also a little suspicious – and, as he admitted himself, slightly envious – of these two warriors who, in only a matter of a day, had outmatched both the Princess of Equestria as well as the Queen of the Changelings. Cadence was open and honest, though, friendly and easygoing, and she obviously didn't take her title of Princess as anything more than that: a title, a word. She bought her own groceries, she lived in a comfortable, cozy, but not overly-luxurious house with her husband, and she had cooked the meal up herself. Luna liked her, although in a somewhat grudging way, and Scarlet Sage found Cadence as fascinating as Cadence found the Pegasus from a different layer of reality. But the pleasant meal had been interrupted when a letter had arrived, and Shining Armor had read this over quickly before grimacing and shaking his head, saying quietly: "I'm sorry, everypony, but the Princesses need to speak to me about some business that's come up. Don't worry, though, I'll be back sometime tonight." "Oh, is it something I may meddle in? I do so like to meddle." Luna said positively, and Scrivener sighed and gave her an imploring look, but the winged unicorn only grinned widely in response to her husband, raising her head proudly. "Thou cannot say a thing, Scrivy, so far my meddling has all been authorized by Odin himself. And whilst I do not like the old lech, all the same he is of enough import I shall gladly boldly wave around whatever decree he makes that favors mine own self in it." "Actually, we were supposed to hide the anchor and sleep in the woods for a week. We were told specifically to not interfere in all the ways you've chosen to." Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna huffed a little at him in response before the earth pony sighed and added finally, glancing over at Shining Armor: "But... we are glad to help if we can. Even I can't deny that. I'd like to be lazy and sit back but... Luna will pummel me if I try to worm my way out of anything." Luna nodded firmly as Shining Armor smiled amusedly, then he replied quietly: "Don't worry about it. You two have already done more than enough... and it's nothing that has to be acted on immediately. I'm sure the Princesses will speak to you about it themselves one way or the other." The two nodded as Scarlet Sage cocked her head curiously and Twilight frowned a little, the violet unicorn saying uncertainly: "But that means... is it something..." "Now come on, sis, you know I can't talk about it even to you." Shining Armor smiled despite himself as he stepped around the table, ruffling Twilight's mane and making her huff even as she smiled back, and then the tall unicorn stallion turned and shared a quick hug and kiss with Cadence before promising: "I'll be back as soon as I can." "Take care of yourself." Cadence smiled up at him, touching his cheek gently, and he nodded in return before heading quickly away. The pink-coated winged unicorn looked almost longingly after him for a moment, then she shook her head, gazing out over the others and smiling again. "Sorry about that, friends. Being Captain of the Guard and all... he has a lot of duties. Especially since the Princesses trust him... but then again, both Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle have always been pretty special." Cadence reached out and squeezed Twilight's shoulder gently, and Twilight Sparkle laughed a little and shook her head slowly. "I don't know about that these days, Cadence. I've always just... tried to do the very best I could with what I've been given, that's about all. And all too often it feels like I never manage quite enough..." "As hard upon thyself as the Twilight in our own world." Luna remarked, shaking her head with a quiet laugh as Scrivener smiled a little as well. "Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. Thou art special. Thou has always been special, as a matter of fact... to me, to my friends, to my family. And somehow I am sure that proves true, even in this layer, as it must in every layer... but 'tis a very sad thing indeed that thou and this world's Luna have not yet slept together. Unless thou has? Has thou?" Luna looked inquisitively, cheerfully up, and Scrivener sighed as Twilight Sparkle choked a little on her sandwich and Cadence stared dumbly across at Luna before Scarlet Sage rose a hoof, saying finally: "My mother has this problem where her mouth starts talking before her brain can tell her she's being rude." "I do not!" Luna huffed, rearing back before she grumbled a little, picking up a slice of apple and tossing it meditatively into her mouth. "All of thee are prudes and boring. And stuffy. Cadence, do not be stuffy. I do not wish to be the only winged unicorn who is not stuffy." Scrivener sighed a little at this, looking meditatively across at Luna, but she was only grinning slightly now, leaning back and looking comfortable before Cadence finally shook her head and gave a wry smile, asking dryly: "So what's your idea of having fun then, Luna?" "Oh, I have many ideas of fun." Luna replied with a wink and a wide grin, and then she laughed at the looks she received from around the table. "Well, 'tis true! And now thou go from prudes to perverts! 'Tis madness, just what is wrong with all of thee?" "Much less than is wrong with you." Scrivener muttered, and Luna shrugged agreeably. Thankfully, she calmed a little as they moved on to a few simple games and conversation, and by the end of the night, Luna, Scrivener, and Scarlet Sage felt much more relaxed as they returned to their rooms... and it had seemed as if Twilight Sparkle had lost the last of whatever worries and misgivings had been bothering her, which was an added bonus. On the other hoof, when they returned to their room, they found Pinkamena brushing broken glass out of her mane, bruised and bloodied, and the half-demon looked up and explained rationally: "Dude tried to hit on me. I hit him. Things got out of hoof from there." "She beat up almost the entire bar!" Applejack's voice snapped from another room, and then the goldenrod mare poked her head out with a wince as Luna looked up in surprise; not at the fact Pinkamena had apparently beaten down an entire tavern of half-drunk ponies, but at the fact that Applejack was here. "Rainbow and I are trying to calm down Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie still and... well, we're kind of worried about what's going to happen when the Royal Guards come by looking to find out what happened!" "That's why they're hiding." Pinkamena said pleasantly, nodding slightly, and Applejack glowered at her before vanishing back into the rear room as Luna glared at the half-demon, who seemed to be in a surprisingly-pleasant mood now that she had apparently had a chance to take her frustrations out. "Ponies in this layer are pretty weak, pretty soft. A few of them packed pretty good punches, but... the bottles hurt a lot more than their hooves all the same." Luna sighed, looking exasperated before she complained: "Pinkamena, how could thou get into a bar fight without me? 'Tis a sordid betrayal!" "Hey, you guys ran off on your merry little adventure to bust up a Changeling hive without me." Pinkamena retorted rudely, looking irritable. "In fact, you not only didn't tell me, you left me with Sissy Two, which was not a fun way to spend my goddamn night. And then you ran off for dinner without me tonight with Twilight Two and that weirdo winged unicorn and the big handsome boy-toy, and I was left drinking with a bunch of loser lightweights." Luna glowered at the half-demon, stepping forwards as Scrivener slowly rubbed at his face, feeling a headache coming on as Scarlet Sage awkwardly brushed past to head to the back room and see if she could help out the apparently-panicking ponies out at all. "Can't thou behave thyself for once in thine miserable little life?" " I dunno, can you?" Pinkamena retorted, and then both half-demon and winged unicorn looked dumbly at Scrivener as he threw out his hooves with a groan of frustration. "I have a headache from the constant fighting and worse, the constant socializing. Can you two just kiss and make up for tonight, then continue this at a later date?" Scrivener asked flatly, and the two glared at him, then glowered at each other for a few moments before Luna and Pinkamena firmly grabbed one another, leaned forwards, and kissed for a rough moment, Scrivener's jaw dropping before the two parted and Luna spat to the side as Pinkamena rubbed grouchily at her lips with a hoof. "I. Have no words for what I just witnessed." "Good. I hate you." Pinkamena muttered, then she walked over and punched Scrivener firmly in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He wheezed and fell to his knees as Luna winced, and then the half-demon huffed moodily before flopping down to sit back against Scrivener, closing her eyes and mumbling: "You're both lame." Before Scrivener could reply, Scarlet Sage came out of the back room with a pallid Fluttershy, saying quietly: "I'm going to take Fluttershy back across Canterlot while Rainbow Dash and Applejack get Pinkie to settle a little more, okay? Pinkamena uh... maybe you could apologize..." "Maybe I could. But I won't." Pinkamena muttered, crossing her hooves grouchily before she looked over at Fluttershy as the golden Pegasus mumbled a little and looked apprehensively at the half-demon. "What? You want me to... oh fine." And with that, Pinkamena sighed grudgingly, climbing to her hooves and grunting, and Scarlet Sage was surprised as Fluttershy smiled a little and blushed, bowing her head forwards with another mumble as she glanced embarrassedly at Luna and Scrivener. The cripplingly-shy Pegasus had barely said a word to either of them, and neither of them could think of what to say to her as they stared at the fact that the Pegasus willingly walked over to the half-demon as she mumbled a quick goodbye, hurrying to the door as Pinkamena loitered grouchily behind her and Scarlet Sage followed quickly: the last was the only pony who had really been able to talk to Fluttershy so far, and that was likely only because of the fact that in their own home layer, Scarlet Sage considered Fluttershy both friend and family. When Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack emerged from the back room, however, the story became a little clearer: one of the stallions at the bar had indeed hit on Pinkamena, but had been quickly chased off by her vicious grin and even nastier insults. But another stallion had started flirting with Fluttershy, then getting a little pushy as she had simply quailed away... and Pinkamena had yanked his glass out of his hoof, and then smashed it over his face, starting the small riot that had ensued. Every now and then, the half-demon did something that reminded Luna she had a heart, even if that heart pumped black blood and poison through her veins and likely could only be stirred in very particular circumstances. Pinkamena had perhaps overreacted, but now that they had all settled down and no guards had yet come to arrest them all, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but sit back and say admiringly: "After what I saw, I'm starting to get what you guys keep saying about coming from a tougher layer. It's funny, but I kind of wish we had experienced a little more... you know, rough stuff, ourselves. Because she creamed at least ten big, tough-looking ponies." "She's scary but... scary doesn't have to mean she can only do evil, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked quietly, and when Luna had nodded, the dull pink pony had lapsed into thought, leaning back with a small smile, but remaining oddly quiet even as the bounce had visibly fluffed up through her body. When Pinkamena and Scarlet Sage had returned, Pinkie Two, as the half-demon called her, cheerfully bounced over and hugged her firmly, and Pinkamena growled and winced away, peeling her slowly off with a series of frustrated mutters and nasty remarks. Then she had half-chased Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash out, slamming the door behind them before storming to the back room and muttering grouchily: "Took even less time for my reputation to be ruined in this layer than back home. I'm going to bed." Scrivener agreed with this plan, heading shortly to bed himself with Luna, and Scarlet Sage stayed up only a little longer to stargaze a little before heading into the back room she was staying in with the half-demon. For the four, the night passed in comfort: Luna and Scrivener slept for only a few hours, but it was deep and refreshing and relaxing, and when they slipped out to stroll around Canterlot in the early morning hours, Luna was able to easily sneak into Princess Luna's private quarters as Scrivener grumbled the entire time about being bad guests and getting in trouble. But Luna Brynhild was curious: thankfully, Princess Luna was out on whatever duties she had around Canterlot at night, and it let Luna nose curiously through her plush accommodations, grumbling the entire time about how she had been given nothing but a few dirty stone rooms in Canterlot when she had returned. Princess Luna, on the other hand, had carpets, expensive drapes, an enormous bed, and what drew Luna's attention most of all, a large bathing room outfitted with an enormous tub and all kinds of shampoos and soaps and washes. Luna couldn't help herself: she filled up the tub, half-dragged Scrivener Blooms into it, and made him relax. But by the time she had just managed to get Scrivener to start enjoying the soothing warmth of the water, Luna looked slowly up to the open doorway to find Princess Luna herself staring at them, towels wrapped around her body as if she had planned on enjoying the tub herself. Scrivener had slowly shrunk beneath the bubbles as Luna Brynhild cleared her throat and gently patted her hooves together, then looked up and declared cheerfully: "'Tis big enough for three! Come in, come in!" In all likelihood, Princess Luna would not have climbed into the tub. But, unable to ever stop herself from pushing any situation past its breaking point, Luna Brynhild had cheerfully flicked her horn and slammed the bathroom door, which had knocked Princess Luna skidding over the slippery floor and then spilling into the tub with a tremendous splash. She had risen out of the water, furious and embarrassed and soaking wet, and Scrivener had simply tried to hide, not wanting to get involved in the war of the Lunas he was afraid was about to start. But, surprisingly, Princess Luna had sighed and slumped after a few moments, the towel still half-wrapped around her sparking mane slipping slowly off to land in the water with a wet splat as she muttered: "If you wanted to use the bath, all you had to do was ask, Luna Brynhild. There are better ones than mine around Canterlot." "Well, what is thine is mine." Luna said reasonably, and Princess Luna glowered over at her before the interloping mare cleared her throat. "Alright, alright, perhaps... that is stretching a bit far. But I thank thee for thy generous hospitality in any event, Princess of the Night. 'Tis a very fine tub." Princess Luna only sighed a little, then looked moodily over at Scrivener Blooms, blushing a bit as she added grouchily: "This is very improper." "Oh, thou art as stuffy as Celestia! Why are all ponies so stuffy? Scrivener Blooms, take note: we must tell Odin that I desire to go to a world where all the ponies are not so boring." Luna Brynhild complained, and Princess Luna muttered to herself, sinking down a bit in the suds before Luna brightened and looked over at the stallion hiding on the other side of the tub. "Give the Princess a massage, help tend to her mane, I like it very much when thou does that and so shall she. Even more so, I suspect: warriors as I do not need as much primping as Princesses." "Please, I would rather... wait, what do you mean by that?" Princess Luna frowned moodily, then winced when Scrivener Blooms awkwardly slipped towards her. "No, no, it is... fine. Please." "Oh, cease, if we wanted to do improper things to thee I would have long seduced thee into bed with us." Luna Brynhild retorted, and the Princess didn't seem to know how to respond to this, only staring as Scrivener awkwardly sat beside her. "Oh, and now look, thou hast made the poet all miserable and unnerved! Relax, Little Luna, he shan't harm thee!" The Princess still looked uncomfortable, but she nodded sulkily after a moment, turning her back towards Scrivener and looking grouchily away. The stallion reached out, beginning to slowly rub her shoulders as Luna sat back with a grin, watching with mischievous eyes before Scrivener glared at her and said flatly: "Stop that." "Stop what?" Luna Brynhild asked innocently, leaning back and winking over at him. "How often does one get to watch one's beloved husband tending to the sweet, softer niceties of one's wife?" Princess Luna blushed at this and Scrivener continued to glower at Luna Brynhild, then pointedly turned his eyes away. For a few moments, there was awkward silence as Luna rested back, continuing to watch with a wide grin before the Princess cleared her throat, saying in as serious a voice as she could manage despite the blush tinging her cheeks: "I heard from Shining Armor that you were both interested in what my sister and I have had him looking into..." "Oh, verily. We are meddlers, as I believe I said to Shining Armor as well. 'Twas it those exact words? I do believe it was, Scrivy." Luna said thoughtfully, nodding after a moment before she smiled slightly as she sat back, making herself a bit more comfortable. "But do tell. Even if it is nothing thou desires our aid with I am still curious. And I would honestly like to help if I can." Princess Luna nodded, then let out a soft sigh when Scrivener's hooves moved in towards her neck, relaxing slowly before she murmured quietly: "This is good. And well, Brynhild... it is no matter of great importance, or at least my big sister and I hope it is not. A meteor fell from the sky, not a great distance away... somewhere in the depths of the Everfree Forest. I do not know about your world, but here it is a very rare occurrence. We simply wanted Shining Armor to put together a team capable of scouting out the location of the meteor and inspect it." Scrivener frowned a little at this, even as he began to gently work his hooves along the Princess's scalp, asking curiously: "What do you want with a meteor? It's just a large chunk of rock, right?" "Well, as I said, it is rare. We would like to study it..." Princess Luna smiled a little, half-opening one eye and glancing over her shoulder. "Mostly curiosity, I suppose. Although some of the mages from the Magic Academy reported that some of their magical instruments reacted oddly to the meteor's crash... as if it released a pulse of magic when it struck the ground." Luna Brynhild frowned a little at this, and Scrivener felt a chill run down his own spine, but neither of them spoke as the Princess steadily relaxed. Scrivener went ahead and shampooed her mane, but it was partly simply to keep the Princess of the Night distracted while the soulmates conversed mentally, in images more than words, both feeling the same strange sense of unease. When Scrivener finished washing off the Princess's mane, she awkwardly excused herself, toweling quickly off and blushing as she headed for her quarters. Scrivener and Luna stayed only a little longer before they let the tub drain and dried off themselves, both deciding on what seemed like the most logical course of action to them... Well, perhaps logical isn't the right word... Scrivener thought meditatively, as they made their way back through the Castle. But Luna's instincts and my own... and with that horde of shapeshifters we encountered before... Their thoughts were interrupted, however, as the sun began to rise outside... and Scrivener and Luna couldn't help but pause in the long corridor they were walking down, stopping to stare out and up into the early morning sky as the winged unicorn smiled a little, saying quietly: "Strange, Scrivener... I have gotten so used to living in a world where the sun does not need our guidance, but moves as if with a will of its own..." "Oh, pardon me, Princess, I was just looking for you." called a voice that Scrivener and Luna both felt send a bolt of recognition through them, and they turned to gaze with incredulity at a pale blue unicorn that was smiling at them, dressed in a flowing violet cloak that matched the color of eyes half-hidden beneath the eggshell bangs of her mane. She paused, leaning back in surprise at the sight of the two, then blushed a little, saying awkwardly: "Oh, wait, my mistake, you must be-" "Trixie! 'Tis Trixie!" Luna shouted cheerfully, bouncing back and forth on her hooves, and Scrivener laughed, feeling the same surge of excitement, warmth, and the faintest dregs of deep, soft sorrow: even through their glee, after all, they both knew this wasn't the same Trixie they had known, as the unicorn only stared and dropped the bundle of parchment and quills she had been carrying with telekinesis. "Trixie the Great and Powerful, is it not thee?" "Oh, no, no, no. That was a long time ago, Trixie... I mean, I, have learned my lessons since those days." Trixie replied embarrassedly, shaking her head with a blush before her eyes looked up almost hopefully. "But how did you know? Unless that means, of course, your world really is a reflection of ours..." Luna, however, snorted at this, leaning forwards and grinning slightly. "Ours a reflection of thine? Nay, I think 'tis the other way around." she declared pompously, then huffed when Scrivener nudged her. "Oh fine, fine, 'tis neither, really, 'tis all based around Odin's damnable center world. But, aye, Trixie thou... thou wert truly..." Luna softened, quieting as she leaned forwards. "Thou earned the title they gave thee, that all of Equestria recognized thee by. 'Twas not the Great and Powerful, though, such a silly stage name held no true potency... 'twas Trixie the Brave." Trixie smiled at this radiantly, her eyes brightening before she nodded several times and said eagerly: "Trixie would dearly love to hear... I mean, I would really like to know more, if we could get together and talk about it... I honestly have mended my ways! Sure, I caused some trouble here and there but... eventually I ended up in Canterlot and... oh, you don't want to hear this..." "But I do, every detail." Luna said empathetically, and Scrivener smiled and nodded in agreement as Trixie brightened. "But Scrivener Blooms and I are looking for Princess Celestia at the moment, we have something to discuss and ask of her... does thou know where she is?" "I was heading to find one of the Princesses myself, as a matter of fact... if you like, we can talk on the way there." Trixie replied quickly, smiling, and Luna nodded firmly as the unicorn hurriedly gathered up her dropped things with a small blush. As they walked, she went into unabashed detail about her life: how she had lived on the road, plotting complex schemes of revenge that would never pan out, doing shows to try and scrape together enough bits just to survive, let alone find a way to repair her broken wagon. It sounded much like the Trixie Scrivener and Luna had known, another point towards how the worlds reflected one another... but where it diverged was when Trixie had ended up in Canterlot less than a year ago, and Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies, had helped find her an appointment as an assistant to the magic school. Nothing so glamorous as she had originally hoped, since her duties were mostly carrying messages, transcribing text, and sending letters, but it had the advantage of helping her pick up more than flashy stage magic, and she was determined to prove she was more than just talk and hot air. Luna was delighted... but she wasn't entirely sure of what to say when Trixie asked her curiously: "And what about... the Trixie in your world? I've heard so many stories! And Trixie the Brave, how did Trixie... I mean, I... earn this?" "Through hard work... and sacrifice." Luna murmured softly, then she shook her head and smiled a little as Trixie frowned a little, the winged unicorn saying softly: "Fear not, Trixie, I shall explain all... when we meet next. But it is a long tale and whilst I will be glad to tell it to thee, I think we had all best be in a place of better comforts." "Oh, of course... Trixie shall be patient as she can. She has learned much, much, much patience from all her time... I'm doing it again." Trixie blushed and shook her head quickly, smiling a little. "Well. Old habits die hard. I still find myself wanting the thrill of the stage these days, to be honest... but honestly, to see them laugh and applaud not... not to simply show up or trick other ponies." "I believe that." Scrivener said softly, smiling over at her before the trio looked ahead as they stepped through a set of open double doors and into the royal library. Celestia was sitting at a table, several books stacked out in front of her, and the Princess glanced up curiously as they approached before Scrivy smiled and jerked his head to Trixie. "You go ahead first. You're on business." Trixie smiled in return, then glanced towards Celestia respectfully, bowing her head and holding up the bundle of letters. "As you requested, your majesty, all the records from the magic school regarding celestial anomalies. 'Twas Trixie's pleasure to be of service." "Thank you, Trixie, I appreciate you being so prompt in bringing these to me. Now, Luna Brynhild, Scrivener Blooms... I expect your business with me has something to do with this, doesn't it?" Trixie stepped back, looking curious, but then she blushed when the others looked at her, clearing her throat a bit and turning to hurry away. Princess Celestia shook her head with a smile before returning her eyes to Scrivener and Luna, saying softly: "I imagine we share the same concern as well, that this meteor is no coincidence... as I am well aware you already spent some time with my little sister this morning." "'Twas good time, too." Luna said cheerfully, but Celestia only smiled, not falling for the trick, and this only made the sapphire winged unicorn grumble. "Stuffy Nice Celestia. But aye, that worry admittedly has risen in both our minds. We wish to go and inspect this meteor for ourselves, if thou will allow it." "Of course. But would you mind waiting until this afternoon? You can go with the scouting troop that Shining Armor is putting together. We aren't precisely sure of the location where the meteor fell, after all.. and due to the nature of the Everfree Forest, it may require some time to track down." Scrivener and Luna both nodded, before the charcoal stallion said softly: "If it has something to do with those shapeshifters, or is part of one of Valthrudnir's machines... Luna and I will feel it. I'm... particularly sensitive to it, at least when I know what I'm looking for." He shook his head after a moment, and Celestia hesitated for a moment before she pushed the packet of papers aside, saying quietly: "Then perhaps you should both fill me in on this story of Valthrudnir, and... tell me more about what we could be dealing with." Luna and Scrivener traded a look at this... but as Luna softened, Scrivener smiled faintly and nodded slowly before he turned his eyes to Celestia, sighing a little as he slipped forwards to sit at the table as he began quietly: "Valthrudnir was a Jötnar... and to this day, I don't believe we ever really beat him, but he defeated himself..." Category:Transcript Category:Story